Cause to Live
by AkinaSky
Summary: The Vannas people need to know how to fight without magic, who better to teach them then the Spartacus crew, only they have to remove them from time and giving each Sparty a chance to be free and love the one they are with or find someone to love in this new place. Nagron, Crixus/Naevia and Gannicus/Sybil for sure and others to follow.
1. Who Shall be Taken

**Cause to Live**

**Author's note: this story is an Alternate Universe with Sparty folks. For some of you who may have read my Gate to Vannas series, you might get to see some faces that you'll recognize but reading the SG1 series isn't necessarily required. Only the Spartacus people don't belong to me ;)**

**Chapter One: Who Shall Be Taken**

His people's only chance for survival was to find others capable of fighting without magic but he knew none in his time who were capable of such things. Suddenly grateful of his power to travel and manipulate time which would finally become helpful to his people's cause he knew his only option was to look for those necessary outside the time he lived within.

So he had.

With a little help from a dear family friend he found Spartacus, a man trained as a gladiator who took a small clutch of gladiators and slaves and turned then into soldiers. They beat back the might of Rome, those such as Marcus Crassus and Gaius Julius Caesar.

Greer might have been taught to never undo history, never change what is but all of the men from Spartacus' team of fighters ended up dead on the cross or the battlefield. He would bring them to his time and they would teach the Vannas, his people, how to fight without the benefit of magical powers.

When he found the moment of the gladiator's death, utilizing a tall copper disc that showed his reflection when not imbued with his power to show past times. The magic had always come as a second nature, something that every one of his people understood; to use magic was like breathing to Greer. He easily slipped fingers across the surface of the mirror and there was the man he sought. He was surrounded by his remaining friends, saying their tear filled farewells and Greer recalled the short farewell he recently had with his beloved mother and knew this was the only way to save what was left of his people, despite the moral ambiguity of stealing the gladiators from their timeline for his selfish need to protect those of his people who still lived. With moment in time clear in Greer's thoughts he teleported himself, shielded from sight as final words were spoken around Spartacus' body.

He slipped up close to Spartacus shoulder, kneeling next to Nasir who was no so crowded by Laeta, Spartacus' lover and the Sibyl. Greer leaned forward and touched the fallen man's shoulder and as he slipped himself from this world of death and sadness, he froze the moment so no one would wonder at the disappearance of their leader. He slipped them both into the in-between world of limbo were wounds stopped bleeding and pain slipped from body, giving them a chance to speak.

"What is this?" Spartacus wheezed, and then took a deep painless breath as he sat up, frown evident on his face.

"I have need of warriors and I have the ability to heal your wounds if you will come and help my people survive the complete destruction from our enemies whose only reason for seeking our death is because we are different. I will pull you from moment of death, so your companions will not miss you in end of life but you and several other gladiators will be given second chance at living in exchange for assistance."

"What would you require of me?" Spartacus questioned, not agreeing with anything but asking for more information. Spartacus was a military man, a tactician and would require everything before he answered.

"My people do not know how to fight without powers, special abilities, and because of this fact we have lost many people. We need to be ready for the next battle, we need warriors who only fight with weapons and physical strength."

Spartacus leaned back against the ground, "I desire rest for I have been absent my wife's embrace for too long"

Greer growled low in his throat, "You do not understand, I can bring you to full health once more. I could find your wife and bring her to you as well, full of life."

Spartacus looked thoughtful, "Back to conflict? Another cause?"

"One worth fighting," Greer said adamantly, desperate to convince the man.

"A way of life I no longer desire," Spartacus responded, "Take my brothers, they would give life to cause and with gratitude as long as those who hold heart are among the taken."

"Then you choose death?" Greer asked to be certain.

"Yes, peace after long battle."

Greer nodded, reaching down to place his hand on the man's shoulder, even as he transported them across worlds and back into the moments of his death, surrounded by his men and those who survived the final conflict with Marcus Crassus. Even as Greer pulled his hand away, he saw those, from the memories of Spartacus, he would save.

When he released Spartacus to his fate, he returned to limbo which was his base of operations because then his team would do nothing to change the time they were in. Limbo always reflected the lives it held so for now Greer saw the Valley, small houses dotting the nearby landscape and always beautiful and magical as it was the only place after years of battle with their enemy ZarCorp that remained untouched by the war because of the magical shield that protected the island home. This is where he would bring the gladiators, heal them and ask them the same thing he'd asked Spartacus.

With a sigh, Greer turned and walked back to the open field where his mirror resided. There was another in his small home but this one allowed him space to work and freedom to breath. He snapped his finger and tapped the mirror in quick succession, changing the flat surface to shimmer and change to the moment that set him on this path.

_The battlefield was awash with the blood of his friends and enemies alike. They had never allowed the conflict with Zarcorp to get to the point of open warfare but it finally had, with devastating results._

_Greer turned at the cry that he knew could only be his mother, Akina Sky. She was the queen but had not allowed her position to keep her from the battle and as far as Greer had known, his father had been next to her. With that thought he stabbed another of the enemy in the chest and turned to run towards the cry. The scene he found was one that he still could not believe had happened and it kept Greer from sleep as he relived it in his dreams again and again. _

_Akina, with her beautiful black and silver streaked hair matted with blood from her enemies and a head wound both. Her fighting leathers were cut and filthy but the sword sticking through her chest stopped Greer's heart within his chest. He ran to fall to his knees next to her._

"_Mama," he cried out, trying to touch her without jarring anything that would hurt her._

"_Greer," she gasped, "My sweet son!"_

"_Mama, I'll find a healer for you!" Greer responded even as she grabbed hold of his hand._

"_No Greer, this is my end. I need you to find your sisters and brother and sound the retreat. Find a way to fight them without magic, do what you have to do. I love you, I love all of you so much and I need you to live to keep fighting!"_

"_Mama no!" Greer whispered to her, his heart breaking even as he looked around to see if he could find his father._

"_Greer, remember what I always told you. You can't change this but you can find a way to survive Zarcorp, I believe you and your siblings will bring an end to the conflict finally for our people."_

_With those final gasping words, Greer pressed his head against Akina's neck and cried out, the death reverberating through his heart and out through his mouth._

"_Greer!" someone shouted and he turned just to watch his father take a blow for him and the bloodlust took Greer, watching the ever burning embers of life fade from his father's grey eyes and he met the enemy in the field once more, killing anyone he could place steel and hands on before he found his sisters and brother to call the retreat._

"Please stop watching that," his uncle Adrian demanded from behind Greer. He snapped his fingers and the mirror went solid once more, showing nothing but his distorted and angry reflection. Those same green eyes he received from his mother were dull from the death of his parents and his black hair pulled back from his face in a queue at the base of his neck were greasy from constant forgetfulness to personal care. There were no scars to be seen from the years of battle the Vannas had been through. It stood another difference between Greer's people and those like Spartacus and his men because the Vannas had healers. Even then death is always inevitable.

"You gave me the knowledge to jump from limbo to the real world, what are you doing here?" Greer asked the man. Adrian, thank the gods, had survived the battle because of his abilities to jump through different dimensions. His wife and their children were safe as well. They were probably all residing in the castle with Greer's siblings, the cousins pulling each other close for comfort.

Though he was much older than Greer at twenty, Adrian didn't really look it, though neither had Greer's parents: Vannas aged slower than humans did. Though Adrian was in his fifties, he could easily still pass for thirty and instead of grey hair he had streaks of blue through his black hair which was loose around his face, ending at the nape of his neck.

"Greer, you have brought several of my beloved charges into this crazy plan and I promised their parents I would protect them as my own. That includes you!" Greer should have known this was going to happen; Zale, Zada and Claire Jackson were picked to travel with Greer to implement this plan and as they were close friends of Greer's there had never been a doubt they would come to help but Adrian helped to raise them from infancy and the parent of the Jackson teens was incapable of following so Adrian had.

"Then don't get in my way," Greer snapped and headed back to the central house where the rest of his team was resting while he went to speak with Spartacus. Adrian shrugged, saying nothing as he fell into step behind him.

Greer slipped through the door and looked at the friends he brought here with him, those who demanded to come and see the end to the struggle against the Vannas archenemy: Zarcorp.

Zale and Zada were standing close together, sister and brother with matching caramel skin and black hair. They were both slender and strong, built like the warriors they were and Zale had blue eyes and his sister had brown. Zada and Zale were both incredibly powerful and so they were important to the cause despite the fact that their fathers would have never wanted them to be here with Greer. Their years of friendship and shared stories made it impossible for Greer to keep the request to join his cause in limbo from his tongue and their assents from his ears.

Zale and Zada's sister Claire was also there. She had the dark blonde hair of her father as well as light blue eyes, a willowy figure shared by his sister. She and the equally blue eyed-blonde haired Ella Trinity were with Greer to deliver healing abilities for his need to grab the gladiators' from the clutches of injury and devastation of battle.

"Spartacus has denied request, wishing to follow his wife into the grave but he has given me list of men and women who would be pleased with another chance at life, even one of conflict and cause."

"Why would you not just take him anyway?" Zale asked darkly. Zada nudged him and gave him a glare to which he shrugged in response. Zale had a special challenge, same one that Greer and Zada had, something that was hard for others to understand. Zale's father had always referred to it like a 'split personality' or to have two minds living in the same body, it gave them much greater magical skill but came with the price of aberrant behavior. Zale would never demand such a thing but his alter ego, called Xylander, was known for his cruel and honest assessment of any given situation. 

"My mother taught me to offer choice, not take away. He would understand what was done to him and then punish us. We would turn a dangerous man into an enemy instead of ally."

Zale shrugged again, "We must do what is necessary to make sure the senseless death that took those we love from us can never happen again Greer. Your parents and our father dead because Zarcorp found a way to take our powers from us in battle! Sometimes that means removing choice from others!"

"No!" Greer shouted, making the girls jump. "I will not become like them!"

Zada reached out to settle a gentle hand on her brother's arm, "What are we going to do without Spartacus?"

"We will find the warriors he recommends and take them after death, we will honor time and history but take what we need for the next conflict. And I would see it done through chronological order of the fallen until the very end. I have made promise to Spartacus that were I to take his warriors then I would take those who they share love and life with."

"You would tire yourself with those incapable of helping in the fight!" Zale hissed as he stepped towards Greer. He did not fear Zale, did not fear the power within his friend. He would not back down, did not flinch under an anger he'd seen more than once in the years of their long friendship. The voice within is strong and the anger tends to flow over constantly.

"I would ask that they have a reason to keep living, not just to fight and die among us. If we bring them to our world, it would be to offer them a life after predestined death. Life for some means love shared between two individuals. Many of us left behind our loves to come here, I just ask that we give more than just cause to live for."

Zale reached back and took Zada's hand, breathing in with her a few times to calm himself then he nodded, "Shall we take those who are loved and gentle or make promises after warriors are saved?" he questioned.

As Greer had already answered the question, he gave voice to next action he would need to take. "We shall first create all the clay golems that will be necessary for the quest we are set on."

"Golems, what magic do you speak of?" Claire questioned.

"They are statues that with the correct words spoken into form will look, feel and die like a human being. Some of the deaths we are preparing to see undone will take perfect timing and well developed spells to assure that no one can see that we have removed true warrior from destined fate."

"Then let's see it done," Adrian stated as he walked over to the others, to instruct them on the creation of the golems while Greer walked into another small building, where he settled in front of his second mirror, ready to learn all there was to know about the deaths of each person he was about to remove from his or her time.


	2. Reckoning of Delicate Things

**Chapter Two: "Reckoning" of "Delicate Things"**

Time passed differently in limbo than it did in the real world so Greer didn't know how much time the preparation took but finally after watching his large mirror for possibly days on end, viewing the time of the Spartacus warriors. It was the best way to learn what he needed to know without hurting the timeline. In the visions of the mirror he got to know the men that Spartacus recommended to him in the moments before Greer sent him back to his time to die. He learned the skills each man and woman mastered, what made each of them unique fighters as well as the purpose that gave them passion and the relationships that gave them the strength to continue no matter what. And he saw their deaths, all of them over and over and it was enough to feel confident about pulling people from their timeline in the midst of the warriors' deaths.

As Greer decided to take the warriors through chronological order as best he could, it would begin with the wife of the Doctore, Melitta. Oenomaus would be a worthwhile teacher and fighter, having taught many of the men Greer had been told by Spartacus to remove from the timeline. Melitta would give Oenomaus another reason besides the cause Greer offered to come with them and she would stand as kind and loving spirit within the ranks of the gladiators.

He watched from the mirror as tainted wine was taken from room as Titus Batiatus sat with Lucretia. However, this moment was not of concern to Greer so, in his mind, he forced the mirror to follow Melitta down into the ludus where she would go to meet with Gannicus, to find herself in the arms of her lover despite the husband she claimed to love above all others. Greer found himself easily from limbo and into the room as she walked through simple halls. It was here that Greer snatched at time, pausing it in its flow and he reached out to take the wine from her loose grip. He replaced the poison and filled the wine with a different potion, which would bring her to the edge of death and leave her there while Gannicus pleaded with her to breath. Greer stepped from sight and started time once more with a thought and snap of his fingers. He could feel the weight of his powers already pulling at him as Melitta joined Gannicus and they began their flirtation. Greer watched in silence as she drank from the new potion laden drink and within moments she started convulsing and blood trickled from her mouth to emulate the death of Titus in another room within the villa.

It took little effort to take the golem who was dressed to appear as Melitta in body and blood and replace the woman on the table. There was nothing and no one to keep Greer from slipping the still body of the Body Slave into limbo and the waiting arms of Ella and Claire. Greer allowed them the time it would take to release her body from the forced stillness of the potion before he would speak with her. She was only a tool to him, and one not needing his attention, as there were many other trips to take and warriors to bring to this stationary world.

"Greer, what would you have me say to her when she wakes?" Claire asked him before he was able to depart.

"I would have you tell her that if she wishes to see husband and lover once more, than she will stay here where she is safe and alive."

"Greer, she is important to the work we attempt here too, just not a warrior," Claire chided at him. She was so much like her fathers: easily able to chastise Greer despite his age and power.

"Then give her comfort but I would seek my next target. Let her know she will be protected here and may freely choose the life we offer."

"Or else?" Claire questioned with a quirk in her brow.

"Claire, just deliver the message!"

She grinned at him so Greer left, rolling his eyes before returning to his quarters. He walked to the mirror and thought to turn it to another time, to take the next man who would become a warrior for the Vannas' cause. Then his fingers slipped around the chain he kept around his neck at all times. It held simple silver band, which matched another back home. The other ring belonging to his friend, the person he most loved in this world and any other. He slid a gentle finger across the surface of the mirror and brought up a picture from his time instead of that of Barca, his next acquisition.

He sighed, watching the young man who was four years his junior with wavy dirty blond hair and a smile that was unlike any other. He had brown eyes that shimmered in humor most of the time, despite the many disadvantages he had faced through out his life, starting with an inability to speak though it had not held him back. Johnny was one of the main reasons Greer had come here to carry out such a crazy scheme. For now Johnny stayed with Greer's siblings in the castle and he'd not been told where Greer had gone.

Greer wished now that he'd taken time to tell Johnny how he felt about him. His father Jack had gifted the rings to Johnny and in return for their close friendship Greer received one of the matching band. He recalled the way Johnny pressed his forehead to Greer's as he placed the chain over his neck and whispered into Greer's mind, _"Stay safe in battle, return to me quickly."_

Greer had hoped at the time that Johnny meant more with his words than continued friendship but soon after the burial of his beloved father and mother, Greer had gathered this small group of healers and friends and left without another word to Johnny.

"I thought you were getting ready to take Barca next," Zale said from the doorway. Greer quickly double tapped the mirror and it refocused on the ludus of Batiatus and the party that would precede the death of their first gladiator acquisition.

"I am preparing now," Greer said with a cough.

Zale made a noise of disbelief so Greer turned to face his friend and the eldest of Johnny's siblings. "Do you so easily forget that each of my siblings and myself all have empathic abilities? Johnny knows what you feel for him and only wished for you to make a move."

"I would have the words from Johnny's lips. Though your fathers loved each other very much, I have never known any of you to favor the same gender. What if Johnny only feels my love for him and wishes to see my wish fulfilled."

Zale snorted, "Have you ever known one of my siblings to do something they do not want to do?"

Greer shrugged, "This is not the time or the place, retrieve Ella and ready the Barca-golem." Ella was the best person to have at the ready since she was the stronger healer and Barca would come to them bleeding from many wounds.

Zale gave a sarcastic salute, "Yes sir, right away sir!"

"Go on!" Greer said with a smirk. He hoped what his friend spoke could be the truth but until he was home and among family again he would have to let go of his personal hopes and dream to focus on the path he was given to win this destructive war. He brought his mind back to the resurrection of Barca, who would bring much more challenge as he stood in the center of guards and Batiatus himself who took his life. Greer focused on the mirror as Pietros received another kiss from Barca before Ashur led the man through the ludus and into the villa where his Dominus awaited him. Greer could feel Zale at his back as he watched Barca fight back despite the many wounds inflicted on his person and as Ella placed hand on Greer's shoulder and Greer reached out to place hand upon the golem which only needed final breath blown into its form through spells and magic.

Greer knew this would be a messy retrieval but just as Barca was stabbed Greer transported the golem, himself and the healer into the house of Batiatus and stopped time just before Barca crawled into the water. He replicated Barca's wounds onto the golem and pulled the big gladiator from the world and back into limbo leaving behind the spell possessed replacement, which honored the timeline.

Zale stood waiting to catch the giant of a man and Ella quickly moved to start soaking Barca's body with her healing powers. The gladiator was already weak from blood loss so when Greer nudged at his temple with the tips of his fingers, he fell easily into sleep. Greer turned to see the golem at work as time picked up effortlessly. The fake man crawled into the water, coloring its surface with streams of blood and Batiatus slit the throat of the golem who bled as a man would and it fell into the water as if dead.

Greer turned away from the shimmering mirror and placed a gentle hand over Ella's shoulder to give her the energy to complete the task at hand. This was one of the main reasons this journey would take some time: Greer could only take a few at a time and Ella and Claire would fade from overuse of their healing talents.

Greer couldn't help from noticing the man they so recently saved. Barca's long hair was wet and clinging to his skin around his shoulders and muscled chest. His skin carried a deep tan from a life under the beating sun but for now had an ashen tint to it because of the blood loss his suffered. Greer knew with the power Ella had for healing, Barca would be saved and Greer would move to gather more to his cause.

"This one is large, he will be quite the coup against ZarCorp," Ella stated quietly and breathless in the face of such a man.

Greer smiled, "Here lies Beast of Carthage, the first of many to join our cause."


	3. Easy Choice

**Chapter Three: Easy Choice**

**Author's note: So sorry this story has been on a vacation. I am hoping to work on it again, just got sucked into writing my Teen Wolf fic and its tough keeping up. I know there is a lot of fanfic writers who write multiples at a time, but I am not that suave apparently most days. I love this fic and it will get finshed as it is a passion for me. So here is another chapter and I will send the next chapter to my Beta Reader. Have a fantastic day and please comment. I love them.**

Melitta opened her eyes, surprised that she was capable of doing so. She had known that her heart had sought to end its beating and she'd wished that her last effort on earth had not been another betrayal of most beloved husband. The lust she'd felt for Gannicus was strong and beat against her mind and chest, plus the constant attention from the God of the Arena had made ignoring the passion quite impossible.

She lifted her head, only to find it weighted with lead, "What is this?" she questioned, hoping there may be someone to answer.

"I am glad to see you awaken," said a woman, a voice that Melitta knew did not belong to anyone that belonged to the House of Batiatus. She tried to push herself up, to give herself some bearings but again, her limbs were weighted down in a soul deep exhaustion she did not understand.

"Why can I not move?" Melitta whispered.

"It is the effects of the potion you were given. It saved your life but causes the body to feel weighted for some time. I promise you I will not harm you. My name is Claire."

"I am Melitta," she whispered to the other woman.

"Melitta, I understand you are confused but I would ask that you listen to what I have to tell you."

Melitta nodded slightly as she felt to tired to do more than turn and focus on the pretty woman before her. Clearly this woman was either a beloved and protected slave or a noble woman for she was clean but her clothing was strange to Melitta. Claire wore leggings that wrapped tightly around her legs in a way that left nothing to imagining. Instead of the simple covering Melitta was used to the strange but kind woman wore something more appropriate for a noble woman but it was also indescribable. A white loose top, buttoned to the edge of her throat with a dark layer over the top. Her sun lit hair was soft and curled in a loose braid lying over her shoulder. Everything about her was strange and off-putting but Melitta forced herself to listen as she spoke.

"You were supposed to die but we have been given the chance to take some individuals from their times and utilize them in the conflict that we are trapped in. You were the first we have taken otherwise others from your house might be here to welcome and prepare you for what is coming."

"Do you understand so far?"

Melitta thought through the words the woman was saying, nodding once and the woman continued again.

"I wish we had been given the opportunity to ask you before you were taken but it was difficult in your dying moment. At this point we cannot return you to your time but we would have you reunited with your husband."

"Oenomaus?" Melitta asked gently.

Clair nodded, "The request given by my people is to stay and find in your heart to live free and help us fight a worthy cause against those who would see all of my people dead for their differences. What say you?"

Melitta frowned, "I am but a slave, holding worth to my Domina alone. There is nothing within me to give in a battle."

"As I said, you are beloved by one called Oenomaus and he is of worth. If you and he are willing to fight within our ranks then you both will be given land and freedom in our world. It is a second chance to be with the man you hold close to heart."

"Freedom? From Rome?" Melitta asked, tasting the words so foreign to her. She had been born into slavery and found herself protected by Lucretia and given the power to protect others such as Naevia and Diona, though Diona suffered in the end despite Melitta's efforts. This one moment alone would give cause to Melitta to take chance at freedom, to find her with honored husband once more given opportunity to salve wounds and give heart once more.

"This would be freedom in a strange land, among different people and battles yet to fight but yes, this would be freedom from slavery and the might of Rome which once held you to heel."

Melitta lifted her hand and it was easily taken by the stranger Claire, "Gratitude for the much blessed offer, one I am pleased to accept."

"I am pleased to hear that. I do not know how long it will be till Oenomaus is brought here but there is another which you may know. I would have your help in calming him and giving him choice in which to make."

Melitta nodded and Claire squeezed her hand just before warmth suffused her being for a moment. She sighed gently and realized the weight holding her body in stillness was suddenly lifted, leaving nothing to stop her from rising to truly look at her surroundings. It was a small building with several beds as well as a table with chairs around it. She saw things that made no sense to her and others that were easily placed such as the cup filled with water that Claire pressed into her waiting hands. Melitta lifted cup to lips and drank heavily as her mouth was dry and her lips cracking.

"Gratitude, who do you wish me to see?" Melitta questioned gently as she handed the cup back to Claire.

There was a sudden shout of fury and Melitta startled at the noise, the voice though was incredibly familiar, not as Gannicus or Oenomaus but one she knew from years of servitude with the House of Batiatus within the ludus. "You have taken Barca? Did he fall in the arena as the Beast should have?"

Claire lifted her shoulders as she shook her head; "I believe he was killed within the ludus by Batiatus."

"I wish to lay eyes upon him, to give him some measure of comfort."

Claire nodded and the young woman helped Melitta to her feet. They walked out of the small building and into another close by to find Barca being held down by two men much shorter in stature and leaner in years and wisdom. Claire held Melitta back as the two men continued to fight the gladiator and he reacted slowly and weakly, incapable of overtaking the others for some unforeseen cause.

"Barca?" Melitta called out his name in a calming tone.

The large man paused in his struggle and Melitta was allowed to see the man as he was. There was blood smeared across chest and throat, still caught between teeth and lips. He saw Melitta and frowned at her, "Beloved wife of my Doctore?"

"Beast of Carthage," Melitta spoke gently as she took a step forward.

"You have passed into the afterlife, to await the arrival of husband," Barca responded, confused by the current events.

"I am saved from death, as you are."

"For what purpose?" Barca demanded harshly as he shook off the hands of his guards.

Melitta waved them off; she spent many years among the men pretending to be monsters for sake of the arena and the crowd. She knew of their ways and needs as she knew those of her Domina.

"If we would wish for it, these people will see us to freedom from Rome and the arena. We would not have to purchase freedom with coin but with help to worthy cause they speak of."

"I was betrayed and put to death for my plan for freedom," Barca said.

Melitta did not know for sure what had happened to Barca after her destined death so she had nothing she could respond with so she only nodded since he didn't seem to be asking her a question.

"This cause you speak of, what will it require of Barca?"

Melitta turned to look at Claire, who in turn looked at the younger of the two men; he had black hair and green eyes that shimmered with excitement. Then he spoke, "I would ask that you teach our people the ways of winning as a gladiator. I would have you fight side by side with my people in the coming war and save us from overwhelming forces."

"You have the power to see death undone but you cannot train men to fight?" Barca asked, confusion apparent. Melitta thought it seemed strange as well.

The younger man spoke again, "We fight with magic, but our enemy has found a way to keep us from utilizing power, leaving us with only strength and steel. This is something my people have much less experience in. This tactic has cost us many precious lives, and I would see the agony of that loss not repeated."

Barca looked to Melitta, "Do you take offer of freedom?"

"I have. Would it not be better than dying in the arena or dying at the poisonous machinations of our Dominus?"

Barca reclaimed his place upon the bed and stared at Melitta for a moment, "I would have freedom and a cause to live by among those I would call my brothers."

Melitta smiled at his response and then he turned to the younger man who spoke for their guards, "What of Pietros?" he asked.

The leader looked to Barca with serious eyes, "I would only take those who hold heart instead of fleeting fancy. Your heart is promised to another and I will not waste energy on someone incapable of strength on field just to hold off loneliness."

Melitta gasped at the words; she didn't know who Pietros was so she had no opinion of the person but Barca took offense at the words. The gladiator glared at the little leader standing before him but with a sigh he relaxed on the bed once more, "I find myself understanding despite my wish for his presence. As gladiator, everything in life is fleeting, especially passion."

The leader nodded, "I must seek out one of your brothers, to deliver him. I hope you can calm yourself since there is nowhere for you to go in this world and you have found agreement with our offer."

Barca nodded, the leader looked to Melitta who nodded as well, before he walked out of the room. Claire followed the leader out and the second man, who was much older than the leader stayed next to the door.

"What of Oenomaus?" Barca asked.

Melitta took a couple steps closer though still several feet from Barca. She didn't think he would touch her but she'd learned from years of being around the ludus not to get close to any of the gladiators. "They spoke of Oenomaus being one they would bring here. Apologies for Pietros," she responded quietly.

"I will mend. I still feel blade in my side and damage done by Batiatus and his guards. If these people give chance at freedom, at life after assured death then I would give chance for their cause to seep into heart."

Melitta nodded, "I would see chance to mend ways with honored husband and beloved friend."

Barca nodded, "Then we shall await the arrival of beloved brothers and dear friends." With that, Melitta walked back to the door and Claire walked them back to her little room to wait for the next gladiator to join them in this strange place.

After seeing to the calming of Barca, Greer walked back to his room and his mirror. He was losing energy but he felt the need to take one more before he rested for a few days. The sooner he had all of his gladiators, the sooner they would return home and prepare for the coming battle.

With a gentle swipe of his fingers across mirror surface, he focused on the moments in the ludus when Spartacus and his men turned sword against master and the celebrants.

He wished to follow Spartacus and watch end to the Romans who destroyed the man's life but for now he would focus on Agron and Duro, brothers who survived together, first in being captured and taken from their homelands East of the Rhine but also the training and receiving the brand. Agron's name was on the short list that Spartacus gifted Greer with in the beginning but Duro could be utilized as well, not only as fighter but also incentive for brother to leave world behind since Agron and Nasir were both set to live through the final battle. It would require extra incentive to get the German to leave the world he knew for a strange land and stranger time.

Greer watched for the moment when Duro would turn and protect Agron, forfeiting his life. Duro may not have been the greatest fighter but when the brothers fought as one they did a lot of damage. He knew that final blow was coming for Duro and he heard the words whispered to Agron who held Duro's head upon knee.

"I save you this time brother."

Greer pauses time just before kiss is pressed to fallen brother's brow and he slips the golem down in place of fallen gladiator and before the space of several breaths passed Greer pulled himself and Duro's limp form into limbo. He looked down as the man realized he was no longer in pain and focused on Greer who stood over his head. Greer spoke, "I would ask you, if you could live to see your brother once more, would you fight for another cause?"

Duro nodded, not knowing what else to say as he stood, blood still dripping down from stalled wound in his stomach. It would not get worse but it also wouldn't heal until Claire or Ella started her magical healing work. Duro focused on the mirror as Agron screamed after placing that last kiss on the Duro-golem's forehead. Duro watched as his brother jerked to his feet and went blood crazy on any Roman soldier who had the misfortune of being in his eye line.

No matter the price, whether it be taking Duro now and Nasir later, Agron would be a boon for Greer's cause. The Germans would make the ZarCorp patsies quake in their boots. It was too bad Greer would have to find himself several years later before it would be time to take Agron.

"Come with me and see wound healed," Greer spoke and led Duro into the same room where Barca was resting.

The Beast sat up to look at Duro, "You were gladiator in Batiatus' ludus?" he asked.

Duro nodded as Ella led him over to another chair, having him sit as she set to work healing the wound. Greer left her to her task, "Keep them from fighting and give Duro the details of the war they have found themselves fighting for."

Ella snorted, "You speak as though you are King instead of your sister. Stop bossing me around."

Greer glared at her, very aware of the fact that they shouldn't be fighting in front of gladiators who would use any sign of weakness against them. "Ella, you decided to come here with me! I am in charge of this mission and you will do as I say or be sent home, do you understand?"

Ella caught his eye and looked over to Barca who was watching them intently. "Yes I understand sir."

Greer left, slamming the door behind him as we walked back to his mirror and the mission at hand. There was nothing else that could be done at the moment as Greer would need to rest so instead he slipped his finger across the edge of the mirror activating the visual of the next lives he would save and take in the process.

Duro looked at the big man sitting on the bed, he was about the same height as his brother Agron and much wider in the chest. His eyes watched Duro as the small woman in front of him kept her hands on his mortal wound.

"How is this possible?" Duro questioned the little woman even while the wound started knitting itself. He could feel the strange effect on the inside of his body, slowing move out to the surface of the wound.

"It's my power, the ability to heal wounds before they take life."

"You have such power and yet you need us to fight for your purpose?" Duro questioned.

She looked up at him, her blue eyes serious and full of emotion, "Yes we do."

And she would say no more as she worked on his chest. He could still feel that strange stretching sensation and decided to focus on the other gladiator, the one with the same 'B' on his arm. They had been taken and killed within the same ludus under the same Dominus.

"I am called Duro, I hail for Germania," he spoke to the other.

"I am Barca, the Beast of Carthage," the other spoke and Duro's eyes widened in realization. He'd never seen the Beast in the arena, had never set eyes on one until he was fighting within its caged walls, but there had been stories of the Beast as well as Spartacus or Crixus. They had fallen to whispers when Spartacus took on Shadow of Death but Duro recalled the tales of Barca. He had also heard the whispers within the ludus that barely weeks before Agron and he were purchased, Barca had bought his freedom and left the ludus safely.

"You were not freed as Batiatus claimed?" Duro asked.

Barca laughed, a deep belly sound that caused the little woman to jump before she settled back at his chest. "I was destroyed by the treachery of Ashur, the Syrian fuck! All to save him from spending coin."

Duro nodded, "I have been privy to said treachery, apologies."

"Absent thought of sympathy for I have no need of it," Barca responded, angry and annoyed at Duro.

Little woman's fingers finally slipped away from Duro's chest and she heaved a sigh, "Do you wish to know the cause you now fight for?" she questioned.

"I will see my brother once more?"

Little woman nodded, "Agron from East of the Rhine will be taken for our cause, Greer has already decided."

"Then I care not why I am saved, for chance to see beloved brother again."

Little woman nodded, "Now that there is two of you, would you be pleased to train once more as if you were still among your brothers?"

Duro shared a look with Barca and they both grinned, "I would see time move quicker through training," Barca responded.

Duro nodded as well, "Once I see end to wound, we shall begin."


End file.
